Deposit for fermenting, aging or storing wine

ABSTRACT

A deposit with similar functions to those of a cask for fermenting, aging or storing wine includes a metal structure preferably of stainless steel and a generally polyhedral configuration, forming at least the edges and vertices of the deposit, wooden side walls invariably joined to thr structure, a metal bottom welded with an inclination towards the front, where it has an emptying tap and/or decanting tap, and a metal or wooden, fixed or removable upper cover, including a wide opening provided with a sealed closure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention pertains to the field of wine storage. More particularly, the invention pertains to deposits for fermenting, aging or storing wine.

2. Description of Related Art

A deposit is a container that temporarily stores wine so that it acquires and develops its qualities. Deposits intended for wine aging in the prior art are casks made of oak, in which the different controls required during the aging process can not be performed with complete efficacy. In addition, a thorough cleaning of the casks can not be performed. Therefore, their useful life is reduced to a short period of time. Manufacturing oak casks is a complex and virtually handcrafted process and the storage properties they offer are limited, since they are elements with a circular section, and they longitudinally have a greater diameter in the central area than at the ends, making it necessary to use wedges or structures to achieve proper storage under minimum conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The deposit of the present invention functions similarly to a wooden cask. The deposit includes a metal structure, preferably of stainless steel and a generally polyhedral configuration, forming the edges and vertices of the deposit. The side walls are made up of tongue and groove wooden boards, laterally supported by a metal frame that is screwed onto the metal structure forming the deposit. The bottom of the deposit is also made of metal and is tilted towards the front where it has taps for emptying and decanting the wine. The upper cover, also made of metal, is fixed or removable and includes a wide opening provided with a sealed closure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a deposit in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the deposit in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows one of the corners of the deposit and coupling of the wooden side walls with the metal structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows one of the corners of the deposit and coupling of the wooden side walls with the metal structure in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the upper corners of the deposit with a tubular structure, as well as a solution for a welded or screwed cover.

FIG. 6 shows the upper corners of the deposit with an angular structure, as well as a solution for a welded or screwed cover.

FIG. 7 shows a corner section of a polyhedral deposit for an area in which there are studs for tightening and immobilizing the wooden sides forming the deposit.

FIG. 8 shows a parallelepiped deposit at an area with a side tension device laterally putting pressure on a set of tongue and groove boards.

FIG. 9 shows a vertical section view of a deposit with a frame defining eight sides.

FIG. 10 shows a vertical section of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows the union carried out in the deposit of FIG. 10 between the wooden sides in the corner areas.

FIG. 12 shows a front elevational view of stacking in an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a deposit, which temporarily stores wine so that it acquires and develops its qualities, so that it can later be a crianza or reserva wine according to the time it remains in the deposit.

The deposit of the present invention functions similarly to a wooden cask. The deposit includes a metal structure, preferably of stainless steel and a generally polyhedral configuration, forming the edges and vertices of the deposit. The side walls are made up of tongue and groove wooden boards, laterally supported by a metal frame that is screwed onto the metal structure forming the deposit. The bottom of the deposit is also made of metal and is tilted towards the front where it has taps for emptying and decanting the wine. The upper cover, also made of metal, is fixed or removable and includes a wide opening provided with a sealed closure.

The metal frame holding the lateral sides, formed by wooden boards, is removable. The metal structure in the deposit has an unlimited life. In contrast, traditional casks have a maximum life of providing bouquet of 9 years. The lateral sides in the deposit of the present invention may be changed after nine years, which translates to a total cost of only about ⅕ of the total deposit. A series of tension devices for tightening the tongue and groove joints of the wooden parts, formed by screws arranged on the edge of the metal frame laterally holding them, act directly or with an intermediate flexible element against the outer board in order to tighten it axially and frontally by compression. This eliminates leaks normally present in the prior art traditional system.

Traditional cask toasting is also a complex and virtually never uniform process. The present invention substitutes the curved boards forming the cask with straight boards with tongue and grooving on the edges. These can be toasted with the appropriate degree to satisfy the different demands of each winery.

The polyhedral, preferably parallelepiped configuration of the deposit, together with the inclusion of lower supporting legs corresponding to upper seating areas, is easily stacked. Lower cavities preferably form engagement areas for transporting forks. Upper means for hanging the deposit, including a hook, allow easy transport and an increased storage capacity, eliminating the unused spaces existing in a prior art cask storage area.

These and other features of the present invention will be more easily understood with the following description based on a practical embodiment. The description is made based on the attached drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a deposit of the present invention for aging wine. The deposit includes a metal structure (1) with a generally polyhedral configuration. The metal structure (1) is preferably made of stainless steel. The polyhedral structure may be any polyhedral structure, but is shown as a parallelepiped in these figures. The metal structure (1) forms the edges and vertices of the deposit as well as the supporting legs (6). The side walls (2) are preferably oak, suitably toasted according to the demands of each wine-producer. The bottom (3) is preferably made of metal and is tilted towards the front where it preferably has an emptying tap (8) and a decanting tap (9). The upper cover (4) is also preferably made of metal and has a wide opening (5) provided with a sealed closure.

Also referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the side walls (2) are made up of tongue and groove wooden boards (10), laterally supported by a metal frame (11) which is screwed by studs (14) to the metal structure (1) forming the deposit. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7 and 8, this metal frame (11) is preferably L-shaped. One of the wings of the metal frame (11) is externally located above the outermost wooden board (10), while the other wing is located on the outer edge of the board butting against the metal structure (1). The metal frame (11) also externally includes a welded stop (15) retaining the frame (11) in place, making its outward movement impossible.

In the area in which the outermost tongue and groove wooden board (10) and the metal surface (1) converge, there is a joint (13) with different configurations. All of the configurations resolve the problem of leak-tightness between both types of materials.

The frame (11) includes tension devices for tightening the tongue and groove joints of the wooden parts (10). The tension devices are preferably made up of screws (12) arranged in a variable number on the edge of the frame (11). The screws (12) act against the outermost board (10), tightening it axially and frontally by compression in order to achieve suitable leak-tightness in the tongue and groove joints. As shown in FIG. 3, there is optionally an intermediate spring (16 a) between the head (17 a) of the screw (12) and the corresponding wooden board (10). Alternatively, FIG. 4 shows a resilient element (16 b) arranged between a supplementary part (17 b) receiving the action of all the tension screws (12) and the corresponding tongue and groove board. The intermediate element in FIG. 8 is a metal square bar (16 c) having a certain forming capacity due to the stress it is subjected to at certain points by the tension devices (12) acting on the opposite side against the tongue and groove board (10).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the metal structure (1) forming this deposit has corner supporting legs (6) slightly lifting the bottom (3) of the container to allow an outlet of the emptying conduit (8) and decanting conduit (9) on the underside. The legs (6) are preferably located flush with the bottom (3) and have a bent and slightly raised end so that the possible lees or residues remain on the bottom of the deposit when decanting. Corresponding cavities (7) form engagement areas for transporting forks and are shown on one of the sides, located at an appropriate distance below the supporting legs. Independent from the cavities, the structure may be provided on the upper portion with hooks or cables for lifting the deposit by other means.

FIG. 5 shows a cover (4) peripherally welded (20) to the structure (1) forming the deposit. In FIG. 6 the cover (4) is fixed to the peripheral structure (1) by screws (19). A leak-tight joint (18) is placed between both elements.

The structure (1) forming this deposit may have a tubular profile (1 a), preferably of a quadrangular section, to which the wooden boards are fixed on its outer side such that the structure (1 a) is included within the deposit. Another alternative solution shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 is a structure with an angular profile, be it straight (1 b) or obtuse (1 c), fixing the wooden sides (2) on the outer side in both embodiments. FIG. 7 shows an angular profile (1 c) forming an obtuse angle suitable for forming a polygonal, not quadrangular, contour structure, or a closed polyhedral volume in which the angular profile (1 c), the elements welded on the outside (15 b) and (21), and the intermediate joint (13) placed against the wooden boards (10), have a peripherally closed configuration.

Another way to fix the metal frame (11) is shown in FIG. 7. The angular profile (1 c) in this embodiment includes two welded bands. The first band (21) on the edge externally has slots for placing a peripheral joint (13). The other band (15 b) is welded on the back and defines slots (22) suitable for including the frame (11) within it and several openings in the front in which to screw a stud (14) immobilizing the frame (11), trapping the end board (10) making up the wooden sides (2) of the deposit between itself and the joint (13).

The structure includes several embodiments. In FIG. 1, for example, a parallelepiped, almost cube-shaped deposit is shown in which the structure, whether formed with an angular or tubular profiles, forms the edges thereof. In FIG. 9 the structure has a closed profile, in this example octagonal, the same as the leak-tight joint (13). The frame (11) and generally all the elements form corner joints such as those shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the structure (1 c) in which angular profiles are combined with tubular profiles as can be seen in the corner joint shown in FIG. 11, where a variation in the frame (11 b) is seen which in this case is reduced to a straight strip with a small lateral fold.

The polyhedral configuration of the deposit of the present invention allows simple stacking by placing one deposit on top of another one. Seating bases are arranged in the area of the cover (4) and in correspondence with the legs (6), to allow stable positioning with the ability to support several heights. FIG. 12 shows a stacking variant in which space exists between two consecutive deposits such that easy access both to the emptying and decanting taps of the upper deposits and to the upper opening (5) is permitted.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention. 

1. A deposit for fermenting, aging or storing wine, comprising: a) a metal structure (1) having a generally polyhedral shape, forming at least the edges and vertices of the deposit; b) wooden side walls (2) joined to the metal structure (1) and forming sides of the deposit; c) a metal bottom (3) attached to a bottom of the metal structure and the wooden side walls, with an inclination towards a front of the deposit; and d) an upper cover located on a top of the deposit, including a wide opening (5) with a sealed closure.
 2. The deposit of claim 1 further comprising a metal frame (11) fixed on the metal structure; wherein the wooden side walls (2) are removable and comprise a plurality of wooden boards (10); and wherein the metal frame (11) laterally supports the wooden boards.
 3. The deposit of claim 2, wherein the metal frame (11) is L-shaped such that a first extension of the L is externally located above an outermost wooden board (10), and a second extension of the L is located on an outer edge of the outermost board and butts against the metal structure (1); wherein the deposit further comprises a stop (15) retaining the frame (11) to prevent its outward movement.
 4. The deposit of claim 3, wherein the metal structure (1) has an angular profile selected from the group consisting of a straight (1 b) angular profile and an obtuse (1 c) angular profile and the wooden boards (10) are fixed on outer sides of the metal structure.
 5. The deposit of claim 4, wherein the metal structure (1) further comprises a plurality of external stops (15 b) having a plurality of slots (22) suitable for immobilizing the metal frame (11); and a square bar (21) on an end of the first extension and second extension of the L externally defining slots suitable for holding a leak-tight joint (13); such that the deposit is air-tight.
 6. The deposit of claim 5, wherein the obtuse angular profile (1 c) and the elements welded therein have a plan or frontal closed polygonal configuration, and the joint (13) forms a peripherally closed element.
 7. The deposit of claim 2 wherein the frame (11) comprises a plurality of tension devices for tightening the tongue and groove joints of the wooden boards.
 8. The deposit of claim 7, wherein the tension devices comprise screws acting directly on the tongue and groove joints.
 9. The deposit of claim 7, wherein the tension devices comprise screws and an intermediate spring.
 10. The deposit of claim 7, wherein the tension devices comprise screws and an intermediate resilient element.
 11. The deposit of claim 2, wherein the metal structure (1) has a tubular profile (1 a) and the wooden boards are fixed on an outer edge of the metal structure.
 12. The deposit of claim 11, wherein the tubular profile has a quadrangular section.
 13. The deposit of claim 2, wherein the wooden boards (10) at an end of the deposit include, opposite the metal structure, a leak-tight joint (13) which is trapped when the metal frame (11) screwed (14) on the structure (1) is externally fixed.
 14. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the metal structure (1) comprises a plurality of corner supporting legs (6) attached to a bottom of the metal structure and a seating base on a top of the metal structure, wherein the legs and the seating base are in a same location relative to each other on the metal structure, such that the deposit is stackable.
 15. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the metal structure (1) comprises a plurality of cavities (7) on a bottom of the metal structure that form engagement areas for engaging a fixing means, wherein the fixing means is selected from the group consisting of forks; hooks; and a combination of forks and hooks.
 16. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the metal structure (1) comprises a fixing means on a top of the metal structure (1) for lifting the deposit, wherein the fixing means is selected from the group consisting of hooks; cables; and a combination of hooks and cables.
 17. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the metal structure is formed of stainless steel.
 18. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the metal bottom includes a tap selected from the group consisting of an emptying tap; a decanting tap; and an emptying tap and a decanting tap, located at the front of the metal bottom.
 19. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the upper cover is made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal and wood.
 20. The deposit of claim 1, wherein the upper cover is selected from the group consisting of a fixed upper cover and a removable upper cover. 